The present invention relates to a structural component for upholstered furniture and, more particularly, to such a component in which the padding and upholstery material is fastened over a three-dimensional wire frame by means of clips.
Conventional construction techniques for upholstered furniture require substantial time and skill on the part of the workers fabricating the upholstered furniture. Initially, a wood frame, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,041, issued June 14, 1966, to Armstrong, is constructed. Thereafter, the frame may be covered with padding material and upholstery material is stretched over the padding material and fastened to the frame to form the finished piece of furniture. Considerable time is required in order to produce a neat, finished appearance.
Additionally, since the padding is compressed substantially by the upholstery material in conventional furniture constructions, the tension to which this material is stretched prior to fastening to the wooden frame is a significant factor in the dimensions of the various portions of the finished chair. If, for instance, the fabric covering the arms of a chair is stretched too tightly, the padding material may be compressed to the point where the distance between the arms is too great. As a result, the cushion manufactured to rest on the seat of the chair may not fill the space between the arms completely. Additional problems may also arise where the upholstery material utilized carries a pattern. If, for instance, the upholstery material is striped, it is desirable that the stripes extend in proper alignment across the various component portions of the piece of furniture. This alignment of patterns in the upholstery fabric between various components requires additional time and effort on the part of the worker assembling the piece of furniture.
The wood frame structure found in conventional upholstered furniture construction also has a number of disadvantages. First, construction of the frame is a time consuming process. Second, a wood frame is susceptible to damage as a result of high humidity. Finally, such a frame is relatively heavy.
Various approaches have been taken to improving the construction of upholstered furniture. U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,571, issued Sept. 18, 1973, to Korch, discloses an upholstered chair having a skeletal frame to which molded side arms formed of a reinforced rigid foam are secured. Pre-upholstered side arm cushions overlie the rigid foam side arms and are secured thereto. The seat construction of Korch, nevertheless, requires substantial skill on the part of the worker assembling the chair.
A wire frame chair is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,759, issued Sept. 10, 1974, to Panton, in which the supporting frame is composed of a plurality of substantially identical frame members, closed in themselves, and arranged in spaced relation to each other. Each of the frame members is formed of bent wire and transverse frame elements interconnect the frame members. While providing a wire frame chair which eliminates the problems associated with wood frame upholstery, the Panton concept is severely limited in the designs of the furniture which can be produced, since each of the frame members is identical in shape. Additionally, there is no suggestion in Panton of a method for upholstering the chair so produced. Rather, Panton simply suggests using cushions which overlie, and are supported by the frame.
It is seen, therefore, that there is a need for a simplified construction for upholstered furniture components in which upholstery material and padding is used to cover a supporting wire frame with the upholstery material and padding being secured to the frame in a manner requiring relatively little time and skill on the part of a worker.